1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a tool for the application of artificial and natural bait to fishing hooks and, in particular, to a device that provides a simpler and more reliable method for baiting a fishing line.
2. Brief Statement of the Prior Art
Fishing bait applicators of various designs and configurations have been disclosed by a number of prior investigators.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,559,734 discloses a needle having a hook end for attachment of a leader, thereby premitting threading of the leader through the bait. This device has no provision to secure a hook and the user must pull the leader loop and knot through the bait, a practice which is destructive of small bait such as fishing worms.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,073,083 discloss a fishing bait applicator having a single, hollow needle permanently secured to a handle. This structure permits the application of bait only to single hooks with no accommodation for varied sizes of bait.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,925,919 also discloses a needle for threading bait on fishing hooks and leaders. This structure has a single, solid needle permanently secured to a handle. The solid needle has one or more notches which receive a fishing hook. The application of bait to the hook with this application requires that the bite of the hook be forced through the bait. If used with small bait, this device would destroy the bait.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,948,979 discloses a single, solid needle having an end recess to receive the pointed end of a fish hook. The bait is threaded over this single solid needle and then is pushed off the needle onto the hook. This device cannot be used for multiple fish hooks, or for threading leaders through bait and has no capability to handle varied sizes of bait.